It is known to provide a fuel tank for a vehicle to hold fuel to be used by an engine of the vehicle. In some vehicles, the fuel tank includes a fuel pump module disposed therein with a removable cover sealed to the top of the fuel tank having an electrical connector and a fuel line outlet connector. The fuel pump module includes a fuel reservoir and an electrical fuel pump disposed in the reservoir.
Quick connect fittings have been used in fuel systems to make connections external to the fuel tank. Inside the fuel tank, hydraulic connections have been made using hoses and clamps or by press fitting polymer tubes onto various end-forms, the most common one referred to a as a “fir tree” connection. As more and more components of the fuel tank such as regulators, filters, and valves are installed inside the fuel tank in order to meet tighter emission standards, there is a need to use quick connect fittings to make (hydraulic) liquid connections without the use of tooling.
Quick connect fittings used outside of the fuel tank have specific performance requirements which include that the connection be leak free under all conditions and temperatures. The quick connect fitting must prevent separation of a connection between the connector and the tubing to which it is assembled. Because of these requirements, the connector is longer than what it needs to be for the inside of the fuel tank. For example, the space required by O-rings and glands as well as the need for barbs to ensure the retention of the quick connect fitting to polymer tubes create an undesirable length. Further, additional space is needed to allow a release tool to be inserted. Inside the fuel tank, space (length) is at a premium, and the smaller a component can be made, the easier it is to work into the design.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a new quick connector to be used inside of a fuel tank for a vehicle. It is also desirable to provide an in-tank fuel line quick connector for a fuel tank in a vehicle that has a smaller size. It is further desirable to provide an in-tank fuel line quick connector for a fuel tank in a vehicle that reduces the number of parts and cost.